


The Tale of a Birthday

by his-spare-hats (JesterFesta)



Series: Tales that remained untold [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Comedy, Gilgardyn, I APOLOGIZE, i hope it made you laugh, i just thought this fould be fun, really not to be taken seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 06:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15261423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JesterFesta/pseuds/his-spare-hats
Summary: This one's about Gil having to replace Ardyn's family on their journey and trying to celebrate his birthday with him. But Gil himself never celebrated so it's all not quite the way it should be.





	The Tale of a Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> A short comedy thing because we all need to laugh sometimes.  
> I'm not really happy with how it turned out but this has been on my to-do list for MONTHS (ever since Ardyn yes-con week tbh) and I just want to finally put and end to this OTL  
> But should be good for a laugh, so, read ahead!

Ardyn looked at his friend, then at his chocobo and back at his friend again, not knowing whether he should be laughing or feeling grateful. He chose both.

“I am not quite sure this is what it was supposed to be like but, uhm, thanks, I guess?”

 

To further the understanding of this scene we shall rewind the story to the moment Gilgamesh found out that it was two weeks until Ardyn's birthday.

“You've been talking about your hometown all day, what's wrong? I thought you were an outside person”, the Shield mumbled once Ardyn complained about making camp and sat down on the spot with a distant look in his eyes. Gilgamesh put his bag down and went to help Ardyn's chocobo with ridding it of the heavy baggage. _Omega_ , he reminded himself. _The bird's name is Omega._

He never understood why Ardyn would name a chocobo that way but who was he to judge the future King? “I just keep thinking about home these days, I miss my dear mother's Ulwaat berry pie.”

“I could try to find someone who can bake that? Of course it won't be the same but-”

“Nah, it's not that. I don't know, maybe I'm just sentimental or something?”

“Ardyn, we both know you know the reason so just tell me. You don't _miss home_ for nothing. You always want to stay away for longer. We still have about three weeks of touring to do anyway and we can't speed that up.”

Ardyn pulled his hat into his face with a pout because he had been seen through so easily. Gilgamesh should not be able to read him like that yet he was. “Look, I love your company, my dearest friend-”

“I hate you.”

“-but I feel like a birthday should just not be celebrated away from home, you know?”

“Birthday?” Gilgamesh halted and furrowed his brows. “You...why do you celebrate a birthday? It's just a day.”

It was Ardyn's turn to be confused and he stared at his Shield with a mix of shock and amusement. “ _You don't celebrate birthdays_? It's, like, the only day people actually care about you! That and your funeral but I'd rather not have that soon and-”

Gilgamesh raised a brow to silence his friend and he stopped his ramble. “So, your birthday? How did you celebrate it before?”

“Cake”, the other replied without hesitation, eyes sparkling like they refused to all day long. And all that for...cake? “Cake and presents. Lots of presents. The older I got the more boring but _presents_. And cake.”

“Y-you said that already.”

Ardyn gave him a look that screamed _you imbecile_ and made a gesture that stressed his words. “Yes, because it's _important_ , Gil.”

“Alright, cake, got it. Cake and presents.”

“And there's tiny hats for everyone. Birthday hats! Plus there's candles on the cake. As many as your age. You really never did that?”

Gilgamesh rolled his eyes and could no longer suppress a snort. “You know about my parents and you still have to ask? And why candles anyway?”

“So you can make your birthday wish and then blow them out, of course. Heavens, never mind, Gil. I'll get someone else to explain at our next stop, you don't look like you believe me”, Ardyn laughed in utter disbelief and Gilgamesh knew he did it to drop the topic (and not embarrass his Shield even more for not knowing something that seemed to be more than common) but he couldn't let it go.

“When?”

“Huh?”

“When is it? Your birthday, I mean.”

Another confused look and a couple of moments later Ardyn smirked, eyes softening in an instant. “In two weeks, Wednesday. But it's alright. We didn't really celebrate last year either because my father was busy. It was just Somnus and me then.”

Gilgamesh was honest, he didn't know what was wrong with not having one's father around, but what he _did_ know was that he had to do something for Ardyn on Wednesday in two weeks if he didn't want to deal with a sulky child instead of the Healer.

It was these moments Gilgamesh realized he had kind of adopted a child (and its chocobo called _Omega_ , can you actually believe that?).

 

A week passed by during which Gilgamesh paid attention to every little thing that caught Ardyn's eye – mostly hats, scarves and little pendants. He was so easily fascinated one would not believe him to be a grown man.

Ardyn didn't care and just kept smirking, giggling, laughing like a little girl (but that is a secret) as another week passed. The Healer noticed Gilgamesh's uneasy glance when he realized they would literally spend Ardyn's birthday out camping but he insisted it would be fine. “You said it: I'm an outside person.”

“Uhm. Yeah. Sure”, the Shield only replied and then they went to sleep.

To wake up to the birthday of the most extravagant chocobo-loving child of their generation. Though it didn't show any more than usual when they got ready for walking. Gilgamesh tried to recall what the village people had told him, leaning against Omega with his arms crossed. “Uh, happy...Happy birthday, Ardyn.”

Said man looked at him in surprise, then broke out into laughter. “You know, just saying it like that won't make it very sincere but I appreciate it.” The Shield looked confused, probably about to tell Ardyn that he was more than serious but the other halted him with a raise of his hand. “Don't justify. Smile. Just once, smile for me and say it again.”

Gilgamesh frowned, wondering what had been wrong with his sincerity but the longer it took the more Ardyn's amused expression turned into a helpless one. “Forget it, thanks though. Really, glad you remembered.”

“How could I not remember when it's about my favorite Healer?”

Ardyn clicked with his tongue and secured the last bag on Omega's back while shaking his head. “See, it's these expressions that need a smile, a mocking smirk, a raised brow? You know, people could take you the wrong way if you say things just-”, he removed all emotion from his face, “-like that.” Gilgamesh didn't like it when Ardyn had a blank face, it was just not him. Smiles and Ardyn simply went together. He felt like he finally understood why the Healer always commented on his expression but before he could do anything Ardyn had already started moving, talking to Omega about how she was a good girl and how her life must be tough being taken care of by somebody as weird as Gilgamesh. “But he's got his good sides, right?”, he ended after a minute of ignoring the white-haired and Omega agreed with something that sounded like _kweh_.

And Ardyn called _Gilgamesh_ weird.

The day went on and on with Ardyn not losing a word about his birthday but Gilgamesh could hear the sighs from time to time followed by complaints about how he was tired or his feet were hurting.

Which is why, in the afternoon, Gilgamesh sent Ardyn to go and have fun with Omega for a while – playing with the chocobo always proved to be a good way of stress relief.

Ardyn loved the feeling of having the scenery rush past him, it felt like he was the bird himself. An hour passed. He could go on and on for ages but he knew Omega wouldn't take it and called it a day instead. (Omega seemed to enjoy herself nonetheless, dashing through the high grass without all that irritating baggage.)

He didn't spare Gilgamesh who was sitting by the fire as much as a glance announcing that he would go wash up by the river near their camp and the other only hummed. River was an exaggeration, it was a stream at most but the calmly flowing water was enough for Ardyn and he stepped closer. Crouching down at the side he stared at his slightly distorted reflection before sighing and splashing his face with water. “Happy birthday to me.”

It was his first time not being home for his birthday and he missed it all for once, he really did. It was a bit lonely on the road. Ardyn shook his head in a hurry. “No, there's Gil and Omega, right? Let's go.”

After washing up properly, the cool water bringing his tired limbs back to life, he made his way back to his dear friend and Ardyn was about to say something about their plans for the next day when he had to stop.

There was Gilgamesh sitting next to Omega, something that looked like a mixture of a poor cake and scrambled eggs in a deep pan on their bonfire and... “What's with those hats, Gil? I didn't know you were into tiny fedoras, you even bought one for Omega?”

“It's a party hat.”

“What?”

“A party hat.” Ardyn wanted to laugh at the way Gilgamesh's face didn't show a hint of this being a joke while at the same time feeling utterly devastated due to the lack of emotion. “It's a hat, worn for a party. Is it not?”

“Gil, okay, you see, a fedora is not what I meant when, uh-”

“I baked a cake as well, there's a couple of Ulwaat berries in there, so I hope I managed to make it somewhat similar to your mother's baking.”

“You baked cake on a bonfire”, he stated to make the situation clearer for himself. Ardyn's eyes focused on the fire while his mind tried to find out how on Eos Gil would think that creation in the frying pan was anything like a cake. “Well, I...”

“Happy birthday. Again.”

Ardyn looked at his friend, then at his chocobo and back at his friend again, not knowing whether he should be laughing or feeling grateful. He chose both walking up to the bonfire and glancing at the weird mixture with a helpless sigh. “I am not quite sure this is what it was supposed to be like but, uhm, thanks, I guess?”

The Shield reached behind him and Omega let out a cheerful kweh when a small wrapped something was handed to him. “A present.” Maybe it was his confusion of the moment but Ardyn thought to see the corner of his Shield's mouth raise just the tiniest bit. Was that a smile?

“You shouldn't have.” Gil really shouldn't have. _If he misunderstood the concept of giving presents who knows what might await me under that wrapping_. He loosened the little ribbon and took his time until he held a pile of cloth in this hands, white with black patterns on it. Every snarky remark dying on the tip of his tongue. It was rather long, black fabric added at the seam and the overall handiwork was beautiful. “Stunning.”

“The flowers reminded me of the cherry blossoms we saw the other day”, Gil's quiet voice got through to him and he looked at the pale colored eyes in wonder. The other was twisting a strand of white hair between his fingers. “But these here won't wilt or lose shape. They are not as pink but...you know, I thought your hair could make up for that.” It was then that it could no longer be his imagination only and the Healer learned that the quiet and reserved Gilgamesh was actually capable of smiling.

_The cherry blossoms, huh?_ Ardyn's fingers curled around the soft fabric before putting the scarf around his neck, a surprisingly big part of it hanging down at the back. “Is that a hood?”

“I have one too and found it rather useful over the years”, the Shield mentioned pulling his own hood over his head as if to demonstrate it before standing in front of the Healer straightening out the scarf with a satisfied nod. “There.”

Ardyn finally managed to mask his surprise to smirk at his friend. “Then I guess you're implying I'll have to be the cherry blossom from now on?” They stared at each other for a second or two, Ardyn with a teasing eyebrow raised at Gilgamesh who just stared back with a sigh escaping his throat. “Eugh, can't even tease you properly. Your emotional reactions are really lacking. But-” The Healer frowned and inhaled through his nose. “Is it me or is something burning?”

Gilgamesh turned his head towards the bonfire, as calm and composed as ever now. “It's probably the cake, your cherry blossomness.”

It was the cake. Ardyn didn't have it in him to tell his Shield that one doesn't cook a cake in a frying pan, so they at least attempted to eat it while Ardyn made fun of the weird pile of crumbs the cake had been reduced to. It was not perfect. Not at all.

But neither mini fedoras instead of party hats nor the burnt ' _cake_ ' nor a horribly uncomfortable cave were able to bring Ardyn's mood down then. It wasn't anything like what he had imagined his birthday to be but it had its own charms in a way. That evening he was leaning against Omega as he stared into the endlessly wide night sky fingers playing with the fabric of his newly obtained scarf. He glanced at the little fedora still resting on top of Omega's head and had to suppress a chuckle. Who would ever think of fedoras as party hats anyway?  _Well,_ I _know who would._

Gilgamesh was lying a few steps away at the dying bonfire and Ardyn couldn't help smiling fondly due to the effort his Shield and friend had made just for his sake. It was these moments that made clear how much the introverted man actually cherished the Healer he was trying so hard to protect.

And Ardyn would never admit it to anyone else with everything that hadn't quite gone according to what he had imagined but that one birthday would forever be one of his most cherished memories.

He dreamed of flowers and the color of Ulwaat berries tinting the petals a dark purple.

How nice a dream.

 


End file.
